02 June, 2013

Tango

Tango is a like a relationship. You have to invest in it every day. Like a plant, you have to nourish it everyday with your practice. If you do not do that, you get rusted and the plant starves or dies. You have to attend regular classes, practicas and milongas. You cannot miss or undermine the importance of any one. People who think, they can continue to Tango just by attending milongas and not classes, are destroying their Tango. Even the advance dancers need to attend classes and practice constantly. Practice everyday, practice your walks, your ochos, your exercises everyday. Invest in your tango and enjoy the fruits of your labor.Good leading meaning "letting". Good following means "flowing". As a good leader let your follower flow. Do not unnecessarily try to embellish and flaunt your own tricks by giving ganchos etc. A good followers appreciates someone who lets her flow. Then you both look beautiful. Not an eyesore.A good leader should be gentle, patient, sophisticated.Steps are important. But you know what is even more important than step? It is the pauses. Pause at right moments to let her flow.It is not a race. You do not have to reach anywhere. You do not have to prove anything to anyone. Not to your partner. Not to the audience. So dance for yourself. Not to show off. Dance from within, for within.Person gets to know and sense it when his/her partner is dancing to show off and when they are connected. People appreciate a connection/a dance which is subtle, profound rather than gimmicks. It is not "show tango", so simpler it is, better.When it is a beginner rider, what do we give him? Spirited horse or a beginner horse? We give him a beginner horse. He can treat him the way he wants- push, pull, blame, etc. But to an experienced rider, we give a spirited horse, who just goes. And all the rider does at the right moments, is say- wow! easy easy.Tango is fun, it is social, it is good for the mind, body and soul. Tango is not an intense workout. Yet, one does not see obese woman in milongas. Men sometimes are overweight. But not women. They were as light and dainty as a feather. I have almost come to a conclusion that in Tango, it is an unforgivable sin for a women to be heavy. There is this invisible connection. Does Tango help women to be in shape or do women constantly take good care of themselves to be in best possible shape to look pretty in the milongas?